Floating Cabinets Are Done....

Thank God Friday is finally here - aren't you glad?? Today's post is about a DIY project we worked on in our home. Check it out....

So after my master closet was done, we decided it was time to tackle the dining room area. The wall across from the table looked TERRIBLY lonely & sparse. I'd been on a SERIOUS & frustrating hunt for a sideboard & came up with nothing every time! Well, I won't lie, I found a few, but they were well OVER my budget! 


After seeing this post on Apartment Therapy, I thought it would be a great idea for our space! So, we tried IKEA!


CABINETS: 


Ikea Akurum cabinets 36" wide x 24" high with white high gloss Abstrakt doors.


We placed them 8" off the floor. The IKEA rail system needed at least 3 stud screws with 3 toggle bolts in addition. Total dimensions are 12' x 24"H x 13"D.  We also had end caps but decided not to install them because the ends were close enough to the walls.








 


PULLS:


I decided that instead of using standard IKEA pulls or knobs .... I was going to try something different.  Something that would give it less of an IKEA look & more of a high-end feel. I found the perfect pulls while reading Erika's kitchen renovation post. She's got such great style that I didn't even question it & purchased them via myknobs.com.  I bought 8 brushed brass pulls for a total of $61.  So, what do you think?? 








TOP PIECE:


As some of you know, these cabinets have annoying & visible screws at the top - so we had to figure out a way to cover them... They're ugly. We went to a local lumber yard & bought a 13 foot x 14" piece of poplar with no visible knots & had it milled. Cost of the wood - $28. The depth had too much overhang so my guy VERY carefully trimmed the back with a circular saw to give us a 1/8" overhang.








FOR THE WOOD STAIN:


We used a mixture of Jacobean and Ebony Minwax stain (in all, we only used 2 small cans) to give it a brown-black finish. Remember to sand it before and between all coats. A third/final coat we used an Antique Walnut Minwax Polyshade (thin layer of polyurethane) to give it a protective finish. The top is glued and screwed (remember to use ones that won't pierce the top) to the cabinets.








BEFORE:





AFTER:


 


MY COMMENTS:


My guy was amazing- he managed to build the entire thing & make it look flawless. 


One ISSUE.... The entire piece stretches about 12 feet long. Soooo guess what!!?? I'm at a LOSS for what kind of accessories to put on top?!? All I have is books & a vase, but I'm open to suggestions. Any ideas?!?!?!? Pls help!




-images by jen ramos

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Floating Cabinets Are Done....

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Psssst! A Fun Announcement!

©poppytalk


I have a fun announcement for you guys this morning! I'm more than thrilled to announce I'm one of the new bloggers at IKEA's newly re-launched ideas and inspiration site, ikeafamilylive.com!  I hope you'll follow me as I post about ideas and inspiration for my own home, improvements we are making on our reno and small personal stories.  Also visit my fellow bloggers there such as Maxwell from Apartment Therapy and Desiree of VosgesParis to name just a few.  I'll be posting there on a monthly basis, and my first post has gone live today which you can read HERE! (Psssst!  It was written a few weeks ago when the blueberries were ripe here).

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Another Project: Floating Cabinets...

I've been on another CRAZE, trying to figure out what we'll be adding next to our main dining room table. A credenza? A sideboard? WHATEVER you want to call it, we haven't found it! After looking through several sites & realizing we weren't going to find something long enough & affordable - we came to a conclusion........

let's freakin' try IKEA. 
 
During my hunt, I had come across a shelf in this Greektown loft on Apartment Therapy. I was impressed at how brilliantly Andreas (the owner) used the Akurum shelving system - and thought, why not? I love a floating cabinet...




We've made the order through a company called MODERNLV - They actually pick up your IKEA furniture for  you for about 20% of the total cost. Basically - it's cheaper than ordering it online & maybe even driving there yourself. 

 Now, I'm speaking for those of US who DO NOT have an IKEA in our state...like Nevada. So lame. Anyway, it's ordered & I'm looking forward to showing you what it looks like up.
 
As for my plan...I bought enough shelving so that it would extend about 2 feet passed the painting on each side.


Do you think that was a smart move on my behalf? Or should I have extended the cabinets from wall to wall instead?? 


Have you ever installed floating cabinets before in your home??







below: our place - shot this picture while standing in the kitchen.





For those of you interested - here's a cool DIY on how to install a floating IKEA cabinets.








-top 2 images via apartment therapy

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INK: Innovation at the Workplace

INK, one of Southern California's top advertising agencies, recently expanded their offices & created a work environment suitable for creative people! As I've said before, working in an office that is NEAT & well put together, inspires CREATIVITY! 
 

In my opinion offices should invest their BIG $ money into the items they use daily.....& leave the smaller budget for everything else. IKEA is a great place to shop for this type of project. They have a ton of desks in several different finishes as well as counter stools for office kitchen areas! 





From the looks of it it seems INK got some of their items from IKEA, which is fantastic! 


The conference chairs however are probably not from IKEA....however similar style chairs can be found on sites like ZGallerie for under $300 each! Not bad? 

Investing in good conference room chairs should be a must for any company.....especially to impress (& make comfortable) out of town guests coming in to visit the company! 





Employee rec rooms are a big part of the MODERN office these days, at INK you'll notice they have a PING PONG  - perfect to get rid of any workday STRESS right?!? 
 
In my opinion, in order to really create INNOVATION in a workspace - you have to go against the grain!
 
Basically, think out of the box when designing your new offices. Do what MOST people are NOT doing. Get the picture?!? 





For example if you notice the INK office has a BAR in the conference room, more than likely for parties & so on...but STILL, different! Also, the SHAG RUG in the office- that isn't something you see ALL the time right?!? But in this case, it works.





And seriously...an office without cool ARTWORK would be VERY BORING to me! INK has simple pieces - probably from local designers or even employees themselves. Great idea! This company is a perfect example of what the MODERN office (away from home) will look like! Enjoy!

























 -images via INK

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